Question map
The Instrument of Instructions contained in the Govenment of India Act 1935 has been incorporated in the Constitution of India in the year 1950 as
Explanation
The 'Instrument of Instructions' was a set of directives issued to the Governor-General and Governors under the Government of India Act, 1935. In the Constitution of India (1950), these were incorporated as the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) in Part IV [c1, t2]. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar noted in the Constituent Assembly that the DPSP resemble these instructions, serving as constitutional recommendations to the State's legislative and executive organs [c1, t6]. While the DPSP were inspired by the Irish Constitution, their structural and functional resemblance to the 1935 Act's instructions is significant [t2, t7]. Unlike Fundamental Rights, which act as limitations on the State, these principles are positive instructions intended to guide the government toward achieving social and economic democracy and establishing a welfare state [c4, c5].
Sources
- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 9: Directive Principles of State Policy > FEATURES OF THE DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES > p. 108
- [2] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 4: Salient Features of the Constitution > IDirective Principles of State Policy > p. 30
- [3] Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 9: Directive Principles of State Policy > DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY > p. 179